Sony smartphones struggle as sensors and PS4 software soar

Sony made ¥33.6 billion ($280 million) in net profit off ¥1.89 trillion ($15.8 billion) in revenue in the second quarter of fiscal 2015, with an operating profit of ¥88 billion ($733 million). This is a marked improvement over the same period a year ago, when the company made a heavy loss after writing down the value of its smartphone business, but revenue is actually down by a fraction of a percent. Sony's forecast for the year remains an operating profit of ¥320 billion off ¥7.9 trillion in revenue.

As has become the norm, one of the most encouraging parts of Sony's earnings report is the Devices section, which includes the company's dominant image sensor business. Operating profit was ¥32.7 billion ($272 million), up 16 percent on a...